I have not had a very good Lexus ownership experience. So far I have dealt with 3 dealers, Beverly Hills where I purchased, Santa Barbara where it gets service...for now..., and Seattle where I was on a trip. Beverly Hills Lexus forced me to buy the paint/interior protection as part of the market adjustment. I had to make multiple requests to the finance manager to provide the full contract explaining coverages, at sale I was only provided the enrollment form. When I asked for the service order to show it was actually installed, the GM, Sales, and Finance managers all ghosted me. Never heard a word back from them. Currently my GX is at the Santa Barbara Lexus for some issues. The brakes squeak and are being repaired, my hood flexes so much that it wore through some paint on the bottom where it makes contact with the seal, none of my heated seats work, the passenger massager does not work, the nav screen starts up on the opposite mode, day/night and several others minor issues. After a week at the dealer, Santa Barbara, I called the service advisor and asked for an update. He gave me the vaguest update that could have been given. He basically did not know the status of any of the items of the list that needed to be repaired, where they were in troubleshooting, what parts may be needed, or what was being worked on or scheduled to be worked on or a target day to complete the repairs. After our conversation I sent him an email with questions I needed answers on each item on the service order. Again, this is after a week of them having my car with zero communication from them. He called me back and basically told me he did not have time to answer my questions, they have 40+ cards dropped off every day and that if I did not have patience to get my issues resolved I should just come pick up my car and take it somewhere else. At one point he threatened to have it towed back to my house. I'm currently waiting for a call from the service manager. This is a dealer that marks the GXs $15K-$20K so I'm going to assume customer service and fairness is not in their DNA and will most likely be picking my car up from them. Lexus of Seattle was great with my brief interaction with them. They provided updates and their facilities were very nice. Their service was day and night from what I have experience in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara. I'm still in a bit of shock from my interaction with the service advisor. What is going on with my car, what's left to do, and when can I expect it back don't seem, to me, to be outside of the basic service any dealer should provide...
Dealer Experience Good and Bad
- Thread starter JorgeR
- Start date
Sorry about your Lexus experience thus far. Aside from buying and picking up the vehicle from Longo Lexus I have not had any other interaction with the dealer. Initial and subsequent contacts with the sales rep was done via text or email. Pickup was completed mid December and I don't plan to go to any dealership until the 5K service.
Your dealer is ass! 100%
I had a similar situation with Sterling McCall Lexus in Houston, turns out they are owned by Group1, utter trash of a company
I switched to West Side Lexus, a more family owned dealer, and my service is leaps and bounds better, the service I get from WSL is a big reason why I keep buying Lexus, otherwise I'm more of an AMG guy
I had a similar situation with Sterling McCall Lexus in Houston, turns out they are owned by Group1, utter trash of a company
I switched to West Side Lexus, a more family owned dealer, and my service is leaps and bounds better, the service I get from WSL is a big reason why I keep buying Lexus, otherwise I'm more of an AMG guy
This is good to know. Iām purchasing my GX from Sterling McCall Lexus in Clear Lake. Iām hoping to have a better service experience but will definitely switch if needed.
All i hear is C A L I F O R N I A............
says the guy from Texas
I've not heard of any Texas dealers gouging or treating customers like that.
The GX550 I bought from Sterling McCall Lexus in the Clear Lake area is the 9th Lexus vehicle I have purchased from them.
I have experienced nothing but great sales and after sales from these good people.
They do not charge over the MSRP and treat you like a valued guest. The pictures below are from when my black beauty was still inside their showroom. The first picture is from the first night when the beast was brought into my garage.
Sterling McCall in South West Houston - I had no problem with sales - it was service and body shop that were un-lexuslike
Service tried to charge my sister for work which I had gotten done on an ISF a week or two prior, when an issue popped up, they tried to convince my sister to pay for the work again (water pump replacement)
Body shop and enterprise had a fuck up, where enterprise put me on a do not rent list for more than 2 years
I spent lots of money at sterling mccall, only for sales persons to get rotated in and out every few years
The person I work with at WSL has been with Lexus since they started, it's a totally different level of service and personal touch
My experiences at sterling mccall were so bad, I will shit talk them in every thread I am given a chance lol
Service tried to charge my sister for work which I had gotten done on an ISF a week or two prior, when an issue popped up, they tried to convince my sister to pay for the work again (water pump replacement)
Body shop and enterprise had a fuck up, where enterprise put me on a do not rent list for more than 2 years
I spent lots of money at sterling mccall, only for sales persons to get rotated in and out every few years
The person I work with at WSL has been with Lexus since they started, it's a totally different level of service and personal touch
My experiences at sterling mccall were so bad, I will shit talk them in every thread I am given a chance lol
fwiw-Cavender Lexus Lubbock Texas-1st 5k mile service-actually had a Lexus windshield in stock and received the replacement. the windshield had a hit right at top edge of the glass at the driver side and a resulting 4" vertical crack. brake squeal parts on order. they said Lexus is going to issue a tech bulletin/corrective something on the hood flutter soon. requires a body shop trip they said. tire rotate/balance and no oil change-seems weird.
Another bad California Lexus dealer: Lexus of Santa Monica. Beautiful facility, courteous and professional sales staff, but lying bastards for management. I envy the comments of folks in Texas about honest reputable car dealers, because it seems we have wolves to deal with here in CA.
LSM was the closest dealer to me with an Overtrail, and I just wanted to see and test drive one. When my wife LOVED we got serious, because I had to admit it was far superior to my current vehicle, a 2023 Toyota 4Runner LTD. The salesman was great, but the sales manager was a classic lying sum 'buck. The Sales Mgr wanted $25K over MSRP, then he LIED about the $4K total surface protection and extra-security price padding, saying "those were already installed and/or assigned to VIN so couldn't be removed". I had difficulty believing that but I didn't think he'd lie, so I refused the super high $25K over MSRP, and told them BS on the $4K surface & security. It was near the end of November so I finagled a $5K over MSRP price, and then Sales Mgr dropped that extra padding to their "cost" of $1500. I was still gonna walk away but they loved my 4Runner and offered me almost what I paid for it 2 years ago. It was a 2-year old 2023 4Runner Limited with 12,000 miles, so with that as trade-in I took the deal. I believed at the time I got about $8K more trading in that what I could sell it, or that's what I thought at the time. I may have been mistaken now that there aren't any 2025 4Runners around, yet, and who knows if anyone will buy like the 2.5L 4-cyl turbo engine over the 4L 6 cyl engine?
When I tried to wrestle the documentation out of the Finance Manager regarding the two price-padding items (interior and exterior surface protection and enhanced vehicle security) that I was told was "required" to purchase the GX550 it took weeks to get them. When I finally got those documents, these items weren't what I was told, big surprise! - turned out to be an off-brand LoJack device, and not a catalytic converter shield - and not even from the companies I was told.
I noticed an interesting comment on the page of the contract regarding these two price padding stated "not mandatory for purchase". That burned me up, because they used DocuSign to fill in signatures, and there was my signature on this page that I never saw, or authorized. When I pointed out a few typo errors on this page of the contract the Fin Mgr sent me a corrected contract for me to sign physically and return, which I haven't done. I'm thinking of checking the "do not purchase" box, signing it and asking for a refund.
I complained and rated this dealership, Lexus of Santa Monica, very low on the Lexus purchase feedback.
LSM was the closest dealer to me with an Overtrail, and I just wanted to see and test drive one. When my wife LOVED we got serious, because I had to admit it was far superior to my current vehicle, a 2023 Toyota 4Runner LTD. The salesman was great, but the sales manager was a classic lying sum 'buck. The Sales Mgr wanted $25K over MSRP, then he LIED about the $4K total surface protection and extra-security price padding, saying "those were already installed and/or assigned to VIN so couldn't be removed". I had difficulty believing that but I didn't think he'd lie, so I refused the super high $25K over MSRP, and told them BS on the $4K surface & security. It was near the end of November so I finagled a $5K over MSRP price, and then Sales Mgr dropped that extra padding to their "cost" of $1500. I was still gonna walk away but they loved my 4Runner and offered me almost what I paid for it 2 years ago. It was a 2-year old 2023 4Runner Limited with 12,000 miles, so with that as trade-in I took the deal. I believed at the time I got about $8K more trading in that what I could sell it, or that's what I thought at the time. I may have been mistaken now that there aren't any 2025 4Runners around, yet, and who knows if anyone will buy like the 2.5L 4-cyl turbo engine over the 4L 6 cyl engine?
When I tried to wrestle the documentation out of the Finance Manager regarding the two price-padding items (interior and exterior surface protection and enhanced vehicle security) that I was told was "required" to purchase the GX550 it took weeks to get them. When I finally got those documents, these items weren't what I was told, big surprise! - turned out to be an off-brand LoJack device, and not a catalytic converter shield - and not even from the companies I was told.
I noticed an interesting comment on the page of the contract regarding these two price padding stated "not mandatory for purchase". That burned me up, because they used DocuSign to fill in signatures, and there was my signature on this page that I never saw, or authorized. When I pointed out a few typo errors on this page of the contract the Fin Mgr sent me a corrected contract for me to sign physically and return, which I haven't done. I'm thinking of checking the "do not purchase" box, signing it and asking for a refund.
I complained and rated this dealership, Lexus of Santa Monica, very low on the Lexus purchase feedback.
I am sorry you have been treated so poorly. I had my Gx 550 serviced at Lexus of Santa Barbara. I did not like the service department. It was for the 5,000 mile service and I felt they had a poor attitude. For many years I have used Lexus
I recently used Lexus of Santa Barbara and had a bad service experience too. It was for the 5,000 mile service and I did not like their attitude. I have used Lexus of Oxnard for years to service my cars and have been very satisfied. I tried Lexus of SB because of scheduling - I will not go back. Lexus of Valencia, where I purchased my GX also has a good service department. One of the reasons I buy Lexus vehicles is because the outstanding service, as opposed to Audi, Porsche, Mercedes, etc. I hope you experience better service in the future with a different dealer.
Well, I feel like I should weigh in for some reason...
I purchased my GX at Lexus of Merrillville in Indiana. They had it on the lot for me to test drive, my sales rep James was great to work with. The dealer wanted $2k for one of those phony add-ons and I told James I was not playing those games and if that's how they operated I was leaving. He helped me get that MOSTLY gone, so I ended up with a $295 "detailing fee" and a "free" stainless steel tumbler marked $50 that I probably wouldn't have paid $5 for.
I think it might also help to mention that the Toyota dealer near my house wanted $10k over MSRP for a Land Cruiser First Edition. I got my OT for MSRP +$295, and in total with tax I saved almost $15k over what that 4 cylinder LC would have been.
Lexus of Merrillville is 2 hours from my house, and there is a Lexus dealer here in Indy that is 20 minutes from my house, but I like the service at Merrillville enough that I'm driving up there tomorrow for my 10k service.
I also found that if I buy parts on the Lexus website I can select the dealer to purchase from, even if having stuff shipped to my house. This dealership offers a 20% discount on everything while the one near my house offers no discount.
If you are near Chicago, I would recommend Lexus of Merrillville, ask for James and tell him Seth says hi.
I purchased my GX at Lexus of Merrillville in Indiana. They had it on the lot for me to test drive, my sales rep James was great to work with. The dealer wanted $2k for one of those phony add-ons and I told James I was not playing those games and if that's how they operated I was leaving. He helped me get that MOSTLY gone, so I ended up with a $295 "detailing fee" and a "free" stainless steel tumbler marked $50 that I probably wouldn't have paid $5 for.
I think it might also help to mention that the Toyota dealer near my house wanted $10k over MSRP for a Land Cruiser First Edition. I got my OT for MSRP +$295, and in total with tax I saved almost $15k over what that 4 cylinder LC would have been.
Lexus of Merrillville is 2 hours from my house, and there is a Lexus dealer here in Indy that is 20 minutes from my house, but I like the service at Merrillville enough that I'm driving up there tomorrow for my 10k service.
I also found that if I buy parts on the Lexus website I can select the dealer to purchase from, even if having stuff shipped to my house. This dealership offers a 20% discount on everything while the one near my house offers no discount.
If you are near Chicago, I would recommend Lexus of Merrillville, ask for James and tell him Seth says hi.
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Thanks for your post! I just went on their site and purchased mudguards for my Premium+, 30% better than my local dealer and free shipping!
Oh yeah, maybe it is 30% off everything. I'm glad it was helpful. I had originally ordered mud guards back when it was ambiguous if they would fit and they contacted me to let me know they were not matched to my VIN and may not work. I ended up canceling the order at the time, but i may reorder those.
Another happy Texan here. Purchased from Northside Lexusā¦
First time customer. 3mo wait for my AS OT - Clear communication, MSRP+TTL only, was also able to remove some unwanted port-installed items, great delivery service, and most importantly, they gave me a very respectable offer on my trade (I was concerned about this initially, as this was the only āvariableā in the deal). In and out in 1.5hrs. Highly recommend.
First time customer. 3mo wait for my AS OT - Clear communication, MSRP+TTL only, was also able to remove some unwanted port-installed items, great delivery service, and most importantly, they gave me a very respectable offer on my trade (I was concerned about this initially, as this was the only āvariableā in the deal). In and out in 1.5hrs. Highly recommend.
was definitely expecting better Customer Service from Cool Springs Lexus. Iāve always held Lexus service at a different standard and maybe thatās on me. Or maybe it has declined. I have had the squeaking break issue since September. I couldnāt even get seen for the issue until November. They claimed they ordered the fix in November and I have called them week after week with no status updates from them that the fix is finally here. It has always been 4-6 weeks, then another 3 weeks, then could be 4 more. A few issues along the way. I have never received a call from Lexus giving me status updates or letting me know anything. I have to call them. They want me to use the same service rep because apparently he gets commission. He never has once answered his phone. I get his voicemail each time. I have never received a call back within five hours. Now I get it he may be busy, but at least five phone calls and most of them are called back the next day. This past week I called and he said, āoh the parts just came in. Havenāt even received them yet. Iāve got you scheduled for next Wednesday at 2 oāclock.ā However, if that time was not good for me, it would be another 45 days before they could get me back in. That stuff is just eats at me.
I traveled to TX from CO to purchase from Sewell Lexus in Fort Worth. Iāve purchased dozens of vehicles over the years from many different dealerships. I donāt think there is a better dealer out there than Sewell. Iāve heard the same from others that have dealt with them.
GX550 Forum Photos
GX550 Forum Photos
